Israel's Underweight Model Ban Just Went into Effect. Should We Have the Same Sanctions?

As of yesterday, any model who wants to work in Israel must have a Body Mass Index of at least 18.5 (that's about 119 pounds for a 5'8" woman) and present a medical record no older than three months that states they're not malnourished by World Health Organization standards. The Wall Street Journalreports that the law, which was passed in March and went into effect this week, "also requires publications to disclose when they use altered images of models to make the women and men appear even thinner than they really are."

Sounds like a pretty smart solution, huh? But don't let your optimism get the better of you. Unfortunately, the Unites States has no plans to follow in Israel's footsteps. Steven Kolb, the chief executive of the CFDA--which recently implemented a set of guidelines whose effectiveness is practically impossible to calculate--told the paper, "We never had an approach of mandate or enforce. We create awareness and education."

That's too bad, in my opinion. The only way to enact true change and put an end to creating an unhealthy, unrealistic body image for women to aspire to is to stop using unhealthy women in ads and fashion spreads. I think Israel has the right idea...how about you? Would you want to see a similar ban, based on actual medical statistics, in place?